Sidama Crisis Monitor

By Sidama Crisis Monitor

April 2024

Background: Indigenous Peoples of Northeast Africa

Cushitic language speaking peoples have been the indigenous dwellers of northeast Africa from southern Egypt to Tanzania for several millennia. Cushitic language was first spoken in northeast Africa 13000 years ago. Christopher Ehret (2023) argues that there was a unified Proto-Cushitic language in the Red Sea Hills as far back as 11000 BC (Early Holocene period), that is 13000 years ago.

At present, the descendants of these ancient Cushitic peoples include the Beja in Southern Egypt, Eastern Sudan and Eritrea, Nubia in Sudan (who speak a mix of Cushitic and Nilo-Saharan languages), Agew/Qimant, Afar, Saho, Somali, Oromo, Sidama, Hadiya, Halaba, Kambata, Maraqo, Darashe in Ethiopia, Rendille and Sakuye in Kenya, Iraqw, Burunge and Gorowa in Tanzania, among others. Although limited records exist about the dispersal and migration of the Cushites in Northeast Africa, archaeological, anthropological and linguistic evidence point to their ubiquitous presence in the region for thousands of years. Cushitic peoples must therefore learn, preserve and defend their 13000 year heritage in northeast Africa against the onslaught by late comers who attempted in vain to deny, denigrate and adulterate our history. Due to limited literary tradition among the Cushitic peoples, the late comer settlers fabricated false historical narratives to legitimize their rules and exploit the natural resources of Northeast Africa, the homeland of the ancient Cushites.

The Cushitic civilization of Kerma in northern Sudan was one of the oldest civilizations in the world that flourished in ancient Nubia, Northern Sudan from 2500-1500 BC and was not only rival to ancient Egyptian civilization but also a source of it. During the Napata Cushitic civilization 750-590 BC Cushitic kings conquered Egypt and established the 25th Egyptian dynasty. The 25th Kushitic dynasty of Egypt was known by Greeks and the rest of the world as “ the Ethiopian” dynasty of ancient Egypt referring to the Cushitic peoples south of Egypt. However, due to invasions by the 26th Egyptian dynasty, the capital of Cushitic kingdom was moved to Meroe, south of Napata in Northern Sudan in 656 BC.

Nevertheless, the Cushitic civilization of Meroe declined after invasion by the Aksumite King Ezana in 330 AD. The Aksumites came across the name Ethiopia or Cush for the first time when they conquered Meroe in 330 AD.

False historical narratives: Who are Ethiopians?

The 8th century Greek poet, Homer was believed to have coined the term Aethiopians or Aithiopians (people with burnt faces in Greek) referring to the Cushitic peoples living south of Egypt. Later, Herodotus, a 5th century BC Greek historian wrote extensively about Aithiopians referring to people living in the present day Northern Sudan. Ancient Egyptians and the Hebrew Bible referred to Northern Sudan just south of Egypt as the Land of Cush. Louis Jonker (2023) in his paper, ”The Cushites in Herodotus and Chronicles (Bible): Revisiting the Asa Narrative” argues that there is no doubt, through Herodotus’ use of the term Aithiopia that he referred to the region on the African continent to the south of Egypt, which was Cush. Ethiopia is an English translation of the Greek word Aithiopia. Therefore, Ethiopia referred to in the Bible was Cush and was never Abyssinea. The Cushitic peoples must claim the name Ethiopia as synonymous to Cush. All Bible references to Ethiopia were Greek translations from the Hebrew Bible that referred to Cush. The original Hebrew Bible referred only to Cush and never to Ethiopia.

Contrary to this scientific etymological evidence, some unitarian writers fabricate false claim with no foundation in history and fact about the origin of the name Ethiopia. They claim that the word Ethiopia originated from the name of unknown ancient 12th king of Ethiopia called “Ethiopis” or “Itiyyopis” who they argue was the father of Aksumawi (see Ayele Bekerie 2004). This is a patently false narrative without any foundation in history and etymology. It is a pure lie and fabrication to distort history and deny historical legitimacy to the indigenous Cushites.

Another false historical narrative is unitarits’ claim about Abyssinean Ethiopia’s 3000 year history. This is yet another pure historical perjury. Taddesse Tamirat (1972), a renowned Tigray historian wrote: “South Arabian immigrants began to settle in the hinterland of Adulis as far inland as the surroundings of Aksum before the 5th century BC. From then on their settlement became the spearhead of the long process of semitization in the Ethiopian region. The extensive area of north-east Africa between the Red Sea and the Nile as far north as the first cataract and including the whole of the Ethiopian region is still predominantly inhabited by a large family of people known to anthropologists and linguists as Kushites.” This historical evidence attests two facts. First, the ancient indigenous residents of north-east Africa were almost exclusively the Cushites. Secondly, there was no recorded Abyssinian civilization in north-east Africa before 1st century AD, that is before 2000 years. The first known major civilization led by the assimilated Kushites and the descendants of Semitic language speaking migrants from Arabia was the Aksumite civilization which began in the 1st century AD. The Aksumite civilization is therefore 2000 years old today and not 3000 years old. Therefore, the repeated claim of 3000 year Abyssinian civilization is unfounded and a false historical narrative. In addition, in Tigray there is an ancient building site which was referred to as the palace of the Queen of Sheba. The mythological Queen of Sheba and King Solomon of Judah were believed to have lived 900 years before the establishment of Aksum. How could the mythological woman who lived in 900 BC could build a palace in Aksum which was founded in 1st century AD. This is yet another false theological-historical narrative far from the truth.

A notable feature of the Aksumite civilization was the constant wars of occupation and assimilation of the indigenous Cushitic peoples. The Agew, who occupied most of the present-day Ethiopian highlands since the ancient time, were the immediate victims of wars of occupation and assimilation that went on for 2000 years. The Aksumite also assimilated Saho, another ancient highland Cushites and in 330 occupied Meroe in northern Sudan.

It was this constant expansion of the Aksumite empire into the surrounding Agew land and the intermarriage between the Aksumite soldiers and officials on the one hand and the indigenous Agew on the other hand that resulted in a new tribe known as Amhara. The substratum of the Amharic language are both Geez and Agew providing the linguistic evidence to the assimilation process. In this regard, Tadesse Tamirat (1972) wrote: “…the Agew were the native inhabitants of the Ethiopian plateau north of the River Jema. The immigrants from South Arabia settled in the northern part of this region and lived among the Agew population, who gradually adopted the language of the settlers. These linguistically semitized natives later constituted the dominant section of the peoples of Aksum. As the kingdom acquired additional territories, large groups of these people were apparently recruited and settled in distant frontier stations. Here they intermarried with the local people and formed yet another semitized zone in the interior of the Agew country, which was gradually passing into the influence of Aksum. …The Amara tribal group ….was probably the earliest to be established as such during the pre-Christian period of Aksumite history…”. This historical evidence further disproves any claim that there was any notable Abyssibean civilization before the 1st century AD, that is before the Aksumite civilization and there was no tribe called Amhara before Aksum. Both Axum and Amhara were the offsprings of assimilation of the Agews and settlers from southern Arabia. This identity crisis has been the root cause of all false historical narratives and conflicts in present day Ethiopia for the past 2000 years.

The Cushitic Agew Dynasty 930-1270 AD

After 700 years of conquest and assimilation of the indigenous Cushitic peoples, the Aksumite civilization declined in the 8th century AD due mainly to the expansion of the Islamic Rashidun Caliphate in the 7th Century AD. The Arab occupation of the Aksumite port of Adulis in 640 AD heralded the beginning of the decline of the Aksumite empire.

Consequently, in 930 AD the indigenous Agew took power and ruled northern Ethiopia including Eritrea until 1270 AD. However, despite their adherence to Christianity and lineages with the Aksumites through marriage, the Aksumite always considered the Agew an illegitimate usurper of power from what they called a mythological “Solomonic” dynasty. Solomonic dynasty is yet another false historical narrative authored by Tigray Orthodox monks in a fictional book called the “glory of kings” or “kibre negast” in which the descendants of the Arabian migrants claimed to be the descendants of king Minelik I, the son of Queen of Sheba and King Solomon of Judah. King Solomon was believed to have ruled Judah from 970-930 BC. This was over 900 years before the historically documented first civilization, the Aksumite civilization, that was led by the descendants of the migrants from southern Arabia. If there was King Minelik I, he should have lived in the end of 10th century and beginning of the 9th century BC. Whose king was he? Where did he live? Whom did he rule? These are all fabricated historical narratives to delegitimize the access to power by the indigenous Cushitic peoples. Solomonic dynasty was a fake story never acknowledged by Israel, the true source the biblical history of King Solomon. It is mind boggling that the Abyssineans ruled this part of north east Africa with an absolutely fake story of Solomonic dynasty from 1270-1974, that is for 704 years. The Cushitic peoples were taken for a ride for 704 years. We should never happen any more.

In sum, we have shown unequivocally that there was no 3000 year Abyssinian civilization,
there was no King Ethiopis or Itiyyopis that ruled Axum or Abyssinea, there was no King Minelik I, and there was no Solomonic dynasty.

Today in the 21st century, there must be a DNA evidence to proof lineage. There has never been a DNA evidence that links any person of Amhara or Tigrayan origin to the people of Israel. If that evidence can be provided, it is welcome. We have dispelled all the core unitarist historical claims and showed that their drive for assimilation of others is to conceal their own identity crises and legitimize their illegitimate political power grab and continue to perennially exploit the natural resources of the indigenous Cushitic dwellers of the country.

The 1270 rebellion against the Cushitic Agew dynasty

Armed with false historical narrative, the Orthodox Church led mainly by the Tigrayan monks sought to delegitimize the Agew Dynasty and actively supported an uprising by an Amhara local ruler known as Yekuno Amlak in 1270. As advised by the church, Yekuno Amlak claimed false descent from King Menelik I, which the church claimed was the son of King Solomon and Queen of Sheba. This fabricated justification was used to justify the quo d’etat against the agew leadership.

Yekuno Amlak was a local ruler at Gishen and Ambasel near Lake Hayq who overthrew the Agew King, Yitbarek, in 1270 and assassinated him. Through the support and guidance of Tigray and Amhara Orthodox monks, Yekuno Amlak founded a fake Solomonic dynasty in 1270 which ruled the northern part of the country and the entire Ethiopian empire later from 1890s until 1974.

It must be noted that the fake Solomonic dynasty ruled only Abyssinia, i.e parts of northern Ethiopia and Eritrea and Agew from 1270-1889, when King Minelik II took power and began to annex the independent eastern, western and southern nations including Sidama in 1890s. Sidama was never part of Abyssinia until 1892. Except Agaw and Saho who were constantly invaded and assimilated since the time of Aksumites, most of the 90 ethnic groups that make up the Ethiopian empire today were independent African states before 1889. Moreover, the name Ethiopia replaced Abyssinia (Habesha) only in the 1931 constitution adopted by emperor Haile Selasie. Therefore, the narrative that the old testament (Hebrew Bible) referred to the present-day Ethiopia was patently false.

The Fano uprising today is clearly an attempt akin to that of Yekuno Amlak uprising to usurp power and reinstate a fake Solomonic dynasty. The only difference between the Yekuno Amlak uprising in 1270 and the Fano uprising today is that in 1270 political power was in the hands of Cushites while today the political power is in the hands of neo-nafxenya ruler Abiy Ahmed who is more committed unitarist than the Fano themselves. Fano and Abiy do not have any ideological differences. Their only contest is that neither wants to share credit for restoring unitarism.

Antagonism to multinational federalism by a unitarist group

As we have shown above, unitarist reject multinational federalism and the Right to Self determination because their history is a myth. It is because they have a deep rooted identity crises. It is because they strive to hide behind an assimilated identity that conforms to their “superior” Abyssinian language and culture. It is because they despise the indigenous Cushitic language and culture as barbaric, backward and uncivilized.

The oppressed indigenous Cushitic, Omotic and Nilotic nations must defend their identities and their rights to self determination from a perennial existential threat anchored on a false historical narrative. The root cause of the perennial political instability and conflict in Ethiopia is such unfounded historical narrative aimed at legitimizing access to political power by people of Abyssinian origin, in particular, the chauvinist right wing unitarist group. We must unequivocally reject any attempt to derail the gains made in the past three decades to restore nominal rights to self rule, as provided in the current framework of multinational federalism, the exercises to use own languages as working languages and teach children in primary education. These are sacred rights which are currently under threat by both the ruling prosperty party and the right wing Fano group.

References

1) Ehret, C. (2023). Ancient Africa. A Global History to 300 CE. Princeton University Press.

2) Jonker, L. (2023). The Cushites in Herodotus and the Chronicle (Bible). Revisiting the Asa narrative.
Old Testament Essays Vol. 36 No.1

3) Bekerie, A. (2004). Ethiopica: Some historical reflections on the origin of the word Ethiopia. International Journal of Ethiopian Studies vol 1 no.2

4) Tamrat T. (1972). Church and State in Ethiopia 1270-1527. Oxford University Press.